


A Most Awesome Teenage Life

by dugindeep (hotsauce)



Series: soccer 'verse [19]
Category: Supernatural RPF
Genre: Alternate Universe, Football | Soccer, Kid Fic, M/M, POV Original Character
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2014-01-27
Updated: 2014-01-27
Packaged: 2018-01-10 06:54:07
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings
Chapters: 1
Words: 8,492
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/1156485
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/hotsauce/pseuds/dugindeep
Summary: <blockquote class="userstuff">
              <p>After four weeks of being grounded, Nathan wisens up to what's really going on around him.</p>
            </blockquote>





	A Most Awesome Teenage Life

Jessica Murray is hot. She’s also a cheerleader. And if that isn’t enough, she tends to go for skirts and short shorts every day of the week. Her lips are always plump and glossy. The blue of her eyes is crystal clear and never fails to distract any guy in the vicinity. And the way she not-so-subtly tosses her auburn hair is mesmerizing. 

She’s the typical all-American girl who seems to be hiding a tiny wild streak, just waiting for it to be dragged out of her. And everyone wants to be the one to do it. Even Nathan. Especially Nathan.

After soccer practice, he spends his wait time talking to Jessica and her friend, Katie Kennedy, joking with them both. Sometimes he gets a kick out of bantering with Katie just to make Jessica laugh, and those moments become the highlights of his entire existence. When her lips spread wide and make way for perfect, bright white teeth. 

The car horn doesn’t deter him from continuing his conversation. He knows it’s his dad, knows Jensen has parent-teacher conferences and his dad made arrangements to pick him up at a decent time. But he still keeps going, mocking their science teacher, talking about an upcoming game, or even asking what Jessica’s favorite new song is. Nathan keeps going, keeps their attention and nearly thrives on it, loving how Jessica slyly leans closer to him as they talk and how her eyes seem to brighten as he makes her laugh.

But the horn keeps going and he finally rolls his eyes with a sigh. 

“ _God_ , like it could _be_ any louder,” Jessica laughs with a tiny huff.

Nathan pales for a second, looks at Katie and catches her careful smile, and then shrugs. “Yeah, whatever. He’s on the rag or something.”

“That’s … wait, you know …”

Katie pipes up easily. “That’s your dad, right?” When Nathan gives an odd glance, she goes on with a comfortable smile. “I saw him at your last game.”

Nathan tries to smile, but he can’t get over how Jessica looks awkward for a moment. Then he thinks about Katie’s comment, going over the fact that the soccer team doesn’t exactly draw big crowds when playing at the same time as football. “You saw the game?”

“Yeah. You had the winning goal in the last two minutes? Best game all year.”

He’s about to respond but he hears the distinct sound of a car door and he has nightmares of his dad coming over to talk to the girls and embarrassing him further. “I gotta go. I’ll catch you all tomorrow?” he says with a smirk as he backs away. They all share a wave, and as Nathan nears his dad, he grumbles. “Couldn’t wait just one more minute?”

His dad is standing, leaning against the open door of the sedan, giving a smart look. “Waited a good five. Six is my limit.”

Funny, his dad is trying to be funny. But he really isn’t. Nathan throws himself into the front seat and sighs with a shake of his head when it’s obvious his dad is trying to get a good look at the girls. “Can we go before you absolutely ruin my high school career?”

There’s a quick look as his dad starts the car and easily smiles. “I’d go for the blonde.”

Nathan looks at Jessica and Katie, spending an extra second on the second girl and thinking about how she’d seen his soccer game and even knew he had the game winning goal. She’s a funny girl, athletic, easy going. But she’s not Jessica, isn’t feminine like Jessica, doesn’t make his stomach flip like Jessica does, and she’s such a regular friend-type-of-girl that he can’t believe his dad is bringing it up. Nathan looks forward, not wanting to make it obvious that he’s looking at them. “What d’you know?” he asks, but it comes out lighter than he’d initially intended. “You’ve been with a _guy_ for like ten years.”

His dad ruffles a hand over his hair, as he always does. And it’s annoying, like it always is. “I had your mom, didn’t I? And there were girls before that.”

Nathan pulls his shirt up, the collar hiding half his face so he can stew in the fear of where this discussion could go. “Uh, no, we’re not doing this.”

“Doing what?” he asks with a squeeze at Nathan’s shoulder.

Nathan shrugs from it. “We’re not talking about you having sex with women. It’s bad enough I know you do it with Jensen.”

His dad just laughs a loud, bellowing kind of noise and Nathan does is damnedest to not smile with it.

*

At his game on Saturday, Nathan scores two goals, doing nothing to discourage the idea that he’s one of the best players on the field, even though he’s the only 15-year-old on the varsity squad. He hears his dad – and sometimes Jensen – cheering for him throughout the game. His teammates heartily thump his back and head for each of the goals. And when the game is over, he gets an odd notion when he sees Katie in the stands with a few other girls he’s seen around school. Not ones that are in Jessica’s circle, but they are familiar. 

When he meets up with his dad and Jensen, she catches his eye again and Nathan gives a short smile and wave. Which she returns with a simple smile and her own wave. Her fingers clamp down into the symbol for ‘two’ then a thumbs up and goofy grin. Nathan chuckles with a nod before being pulled by his dad’s arm around his neck. “Not too bad, buddy.”

“Yeah, it was a good game,” he returns with an aww-shucks sound to his voice.

Jensen trails behind and offers playfully, “Know when you missed that corner shot? Your ankle was all janky,” and he even lightly kicks at Nathan’s foot.

Nathan laughs and nearly trips under the weight of his father and in trying to avoid Jensen again. “Stop it, guys. C’mon.”

His dad yanks him back close and shakes him. “What’re you afraid of? Gonna embarrass you in front of your girlfriend?”

“Who’s the girlfriend?” Jensen asks with interest.

“There’s no girlfriend,” Nathan huffs. 

“It’s the blonde over there. Ponytail and black hoodie,” his dad says to Jensen without caring for Nathan’s insistence.

“She’s not my girlfriend!”

Jensen looks and makes a _hmm_ noise. 

“Yeah, she’s cute,” his dad says with a nod.

Nathan’s cheeks flare up and he’s about to say more, but Jensen cuts in with, “Yeah, she is. Looks like a nice girl.”

“Could do a lot worse,” his dad adds.

“Yeah, like one of you,” Nathan huffs and moves away from them and on to the car.

*

During lunch on Tuesdays and Thursdays, Nathan meets with Coach Caruthers to help him inventory gym equipment. It’s not much, but he learned early on that it got him in the soccer coach’s face enough to get an extra dose of attention. He’s pretty sure that attention is part of what got him on varsity. It’s a gift he doesn’t ignore, and only takes advantage of to play as hard as he can.

In the equipment room, he’s on the floor and sorting through netted shirts, putting blues to his left and reds to his right, powered on by his iPod and bopping his head.

He feels the flick at his ear before he sees Katie looming over him, and he flinches and stares up at her. She says something but it’s lost in the driving beats of the music, so she laughs and makes motion of removing the earbuds. He does and frowns. “What’s up?”

“Never saw you as the emo-kid-in-the-closet-case before.”

“I’m not,” he says plainly. “What’re you doing here?” 

“Caruthers said you need a hand.”

Nathan looks around. He’s nearly done, pretty much just taking his time to get things in order before heading off to speech. With a shrug, he grabs the blues and hands them over. “They go up top on the left.”

Katie takes them and shuffles to the side, trying to not step on him as she reaches up high, just barely reaching. Nathan’s kind of impressed. Even he thinks it’s a tall shelf and he’s … well, _tall_ , thanks to his dad. He stands to put the reds to the upper left and when he turns back, Katie’s dribbling a basketball. 

He moves in to snatch it away with a smirk and dribbles in front of her as they play around, each trying to grab it back. “Since when do you help Caruthers out?”

“Since now.” She’s awkward in her answer, but he figures it’s because they’re not exactly friends. They had biology together freshman year, but didn’t talk much. They joke around with Jessica, but he’s there for Jessica, not to listen to Katie, and she hardly talks about herself anyway. 

When she shoots the ball into the garbage can behind him, nothing but rim, he’s surprised, and it comes out in his, “Nice shot,” and smile. 

She shrugs. “Got nothing better to do.”

Nathan gets the ball out and starts dribbling again. He bounce-passes it over as he asks, “Shootin’ hoops in the closet?”

Just as easily as before, she shoots the ball in. “I’m not the one hanging in here alone.”

“You are now,” he laughs as he dribbles the ball again and passes it.

“Yeah, but I’m with you,” she shoots back with a smart smile. 

Nathan’s distracted watching her shoot and make it once again. “Fair enough.” He passes the ball but she shoots it right back at him this time and moves away from the corner, where a wide basket holds half a dozen volleyballs. He tosses the ball in, and now she’s recovering it and throwing it back to him a few times over. As they go on, he asks carefully, “You close with Jessica?”

Katie shrugs. “I guess. She lives across the street. Her parents give me rides.” He makes a _hmm_ noise that prompts her to ask, “Why?”

“Nothin’,” he says, making an awkward face as he shoots at the volleyballs again. “Don’t really see you two being that good-a friends.”

“Why’s that?”

He shrugs and fights saying it, but does. “You guys aren’t exactly the same.”

“Neither are you.”

Tucking the ball under his arm, Nathan looks at her and catches how she’s the one that’s awkward now. “What’s that supposed to mean?”

“I dunno,” she says with raised eyebrows, and leans against the basket. Her eyes are glued to her hand trying to palm a volleyball. “You like her, right?”

He flushes, not wanting to admit it, but Katie just might be the best ‘in’ to Jessica that he could ever get. “A lotta people like her,” he finally says as he shoots again.

“You’re not exactly the same type.”

How plainly she says it, like it’s the most obvious thing in the world, hits him and he stares. Then he gives her an annoyed glance and is thankful when the bell rings. He pops the ball towards the basket, and Katie easily grabs it before it can fall in. She hops up and sets it right in the middle of the top shelf, nestled among the netted shirts. Nathan’s mouth quirks at that but then he shakes his head and moves through the doorway. “See ya later,” he mutters as he heads down the hallway.

*

A few days pass and Nathan doesn’t see Jessica, or Katie for that matter, after practice. He’s dribbling his soccer ball in the lawn next to the parking lot where Jensen always gets him. Since he’s on his own, he thinks for a second of asking Jensen to come out of the car, maybe play a quick game. They haven’t done that in a long while. Not since before high school soccer started and his life became school, practice, homework, sleep. He’s smiling, just thinking it over, remembering all the hours Jensen played with him as he grew up, playing late into dark evenings with the back lights on, not just being there but challenging and teaching. He knows he wouldn’t be where he is without Jensen and it makes him grin. 

Soon enough, Jensen pulls up and is all smiles. “Hey, kiddo.”

Nathan rolls his eyes but smiles, because it’s exactly what Jensen’s been calling him for years. He doesn’t ask about playing, just bats the ball over and Jensen catches on, kicking it right back. They go on for a while and Nathan isn’t lost on the wave of enjoyment they both get here. Jensen has never been anything but supportive with the sport, and he has a feeling it was Jensen’s extra prodding that helped ease the decision of Nathan moving in with his dad so he could go to a better school. Play for a team that was higher ranked and got more attention compared to the one in his mom’s neighborhood, not to mention hope for college scholarships. 

He’s smiling madly thinking of it all, and especially so when he cuts a quick path around Jensen – who’s still speedy, even in his forties – and smacks the ball into a nearby makeshift goal. 

And then he really beams when he hears, “There’s our soccer star,” and sees Jessica and Katie heading his way.

“Hey there,” he says happily as he drags the ball back and over his toe so he can pop it into the air. 

Jessica smiles at the motion and goes as far as to clap for him. “I should really talk to the team and get them to start cheering you on.”

She’s so goddamn pretty right there, in a blue cardigan, long white tank, and short black shorts. And the way she’s smiling at him and goading him with playful tones, he can’t ignore how his stomach turns over and his heart beats a little faster. “I don’t know. You might be a bit of a distraction.”

Jensen chuckles and they all look at him, like he’s only just appeared. Nathan blushes a bit at the thought that Jensen’s watching him flirt, but then Jessica laughs and he’s fairly pleased with the situation. 

Her laugh turns into a giggle and she leans into Katie with a shoulder nudge, and he mentally pats himself on the back for that one. 

Smirking, Jensen thumbs to the car and leaves them alone. Nathan’s grateful for the moment, even if Jensen’s not all that far away, at least he’s not _right there_. Just to show off, Nathan starts bumping the ball on his knee, keeping it afloat with constant moves but he’s interrupted when Jessica reaches out for the ball and holds tight. She smiles at him then watches the ball spin within her hands. “You know, Rich Graham’s having people at his lakehouse. A bunch of people are going for the weekend.”

Nathan tries to temper his smile, but the way his cheeks burn tell him he’s not doing a very good job. Rich Graham is captain of the football team – getting invited, especially by Jessica, isn’t something to sneeze at. Surprisingly, his voice comes out rather smooth. “Like a sleepover, huh?”

She laughs and nudges Katie again, which reminds him that she’s there. And quiet. And not looking anywhere near them. “Yeah, something like that. You should come.”

He bites into his lower lip before letting a full smile out. “Yeah, alright, cool. I’ll talk to my dad.”

Jessica nods and hands the ball over with a flip of her hands and smiles slyly. “My mom thinks I’m staying at Katie’s. You should say you’re with her brother.”

Nathan looks at Katie, not missing how she’s rolling her eyes and shaking her head. “My brother’s seven. Doubt that’ll help your cause.”

He smiles at them both and then looks over his shoulder when both the girls are practically staring at Jensen, leaning against the car. His arms are crossed and he’s facing away to not look like he’s eavesdropping, but Nathan has a feeling he is. In the last year and a half of living with the guy, he’s learned that Jensen’s incredibly sneaky. Unlike his dad who is just obvious. And annoying. And embarrassing. In an instant, Nathan’s thankful it’s Jensen that picked him up today.

“Who’s that?” Jessica asks as she stares at the car.

“That’s … uh,” and he stalls, unsure that he wants to say _my dad’s boyfriend_ , not knowing how that would sit with Jessica or Katie. Nathan flushes, from his hair down to his fingers and he’s so nervous. He has no intention to disrespect what Jensen really is in his life, but there’s no way he can say it now. A few steps towards the car and he lamely says, “Family friend. I’ll be there tomorrow.”

It seems to be enough and Jessica waves with flirty fingers as he jogs to Jensen’s car. He’s beaming so hard, body pumping with adrenaline on the invitation but he gets a chill at the stern look on Jensen’s face, not to mention the one high eyebrow. 

“What?” Nathan asks when he stops by the passenger door.

Jensen shakes his head and says evenly, “Don’t even think about it.”

“About what?”

He leans against the car, staring at Nathan. “Your little weekend getaway.”

Nathan feels his lungs catch, now knowing Jensen heard it. He looks back to where the girls are walking away, wondering how in the hell he could actually hear it all. Sure, he figured Jensen was _trying_ to, but he didn’t think they were that loud. “It’s just a day thing. I wasn’t gonna stay the night,” he tries to ease. Jensen shakes his head and gets in, starting up the car before Nathan’s got his seat belt on. “What if you dropped me off? Dad would let you do it.”

He snorts and doesn’t respond to any possible scenario Nathan cooks up – including washing both their cars for a month, cooking and cleaning up after dinner, and taking out the trash. “You’re already supposed to take out the trash,” Jensen points out.

Running a hand through his hair, he puts on his most innocent face. “What else can I do? You have no idea how big this is.”

“More like … you don’t how big this isn’t.”

Nathan rolls his eyes at Jensen’s snort, wondering when things changed. Usually Jensen is the easy going one, working his dad over just right to let him do more than would normally be possible. Like staying with them for school, reworking schedules to get him to soccer camps over the years, going for early driving lessons. Nathan tries for begging, turning to Jensen and talking animatedly, pushing his hands everywhere. “Jensen, it’s Jessica Murray. She’s, like, the hottest girl in my class. She asked _me_ to go to the party.”

Jensen shakes his head with a small smile and it cuts Nathan off for a few bitter seconds of trying to argue more. Jensen finally stops him with a simple, “Wait until six, alright?”

“For what?” he asks in a huff.

“Your dad’ll be home then.”

He waits, and they talk. Well, kinda.

“ARE YOU PURPOSELY TRYING TO RUIN MY LIFE?” Nathan hears Jensen chuckling from the next room and he yells out, “Shut up! You’re not helping!”

His dad makes a noise between a huff and a laugh, and says, “Didn’t know I’d see the day, but Jensen’s right.”

“Oh, my _God_! It’s not a big deal. Just a bunch of kids hanging out for the day!”

“Yeah, unsupervised. C’mon, Nathan!” his dad yells right back, losing patience for Nathan’s anger. “You think I’m that stupid? I’ve been to those parties.”

Nathan marches to the doorway of the next room and motions between Jensen and his dad. “Will you tell him what this is? That it’s the biggest thing I’m gonna do this year?!”

Jensen shakes his head, trying so hard to not get involved, even when it’s obvious that he’s listening to the whole fight. 

“Jessica Murray! If I don’t go – ”

His dad shakes his head with a sigh and smacks his stack of papers on the counter. “It’s not the end of the world. Christ, Nathan. You’re acting like a little kid. It’s not life or death.”

“Yes! Yes it is! It’s life or death for me in high school. I’mma be ostracized.”

Jensen passes through and his one piece of input is, “You really just say ‘Imma be ostracized’?”

“What of it?” he shoots back.

Jensen raises his hands and lets Jared jump in to yell, “Hey! Watch your attitude.”

“Do you even _know_ what I’m going through. _Hottest girl in school_ asked me to a party.”

“Yeah, and?”

“Oh, right, you like dick, you wouldn’t know.”

It stops there. Both Jensen and his dad staring and each cocking their heads to the side. His dad silently closes space between them, seething, and Jensen steps in and pushes him from Nathan. 

Nathan shakes, but he’s balling fists in hopes they don’t notice. It slipped out, he wants to tug it back into his mouth, but he’s here and he’s finishing it. Or at least isn’t backing down, because he goes quiet and watches his dad take deep, loud breaths as Jensen keeps pushing him away and murmuring, coaxing him to relax and step back and go to their room. Nathan’s eased by Jensen stepping in; it’s a comforting feeling and one he’s had for a good long time. Jensen’s always alleviated things between him and his dad, wedged himself in and calmed his dad before anything ever got bad. But Nathan will admit that it’s never been this bad. Jensen looks at him, silent and still. Nathan releases a breath and says, “Thank you.”

Jensen walks closer, nearly looking him straight in the eye. He barely has an inch on Nathan and it’s never bothered Nathan before. But he feels like curling into himself because this is worse than his dad yelling at him. Because Jensen’s never, ever reprimanded him, never looked at him like this. “Go to your room.” Nathan’s eyebrows knit together and Jensen adds, “I’ll be there in a minute. Close the door.”

It takes some time for him to accept that that’s all Jensen’s going to say right here, and he finally turns away and heads to his room. He spends a good twenty minutes laid out on his bed, hearing Jensen talking to his dad, but he can’t discern Jensen’s side. On the other hand, he can hear a good amount of things his dad is yelling. Nathan’s being dragged over the coals and his dad sounds bitter at the fact that they took him in and this is how he treats them. It digs into Nathan’s chest, burrows there with pain, and he’s nearly frightened when his bedroom door opens. There’s a small bit of relief that it’s Jensen, but he’s still edgy because Jensen’s obviously not ready to make nice.

Jensen moves toward the bed and crosses his arms. It’s quiet and Nathan gets nervous, sitting up against the headboard and waiting for something to be said. Jensen’s face breaks but it’s not in anger, it’s closer to sadness. “What were you thinking?”

The way the words break, how _disappointed_ Jensen sounds rips into Nathan, and he thinks he’s going to cry. He only drops his head, afraid of what other wrong words could come out.

Jensen shakes his head and his voice is still broken. “We joke around all the time, I know that. But it’s still your dad. And I’m … I’m not your … not your parent, or whatever. But you can’t talk to us like that.”

“I didn’t mean it,” he says quickly. “It just slipped out. I’m sorry. So sorry.”

The eyes are still on Nathan, but they soften for a moment and then Jensen’s shaking his head. He takes a long breath and moves to the door before glancing over his shoulder. “You’re grounded for two weeks.”

“What the fuck?” leaks from his mouth and he clamps it closed instantly, and keeps his mouth shut when he catches Jensen’s angry glare. He’s been grounded before, one day here and there, for missing curfew or not cleaning after himself even when he’s been pestered for far too long to do so. But it’s never gone on during soccer and he panics. “What about soccer?”

“What about a month?”

He feels moisture in his eyes and he wills it away. He pathetically asks, “Soccer?”

Jensen looks away, licking his lips before carefully saying, “I’m picking you up after practice. _Right_ after. No visiting with friends.” 

Nathan nods, accepting that it could be way worse and Jensen’s giving him an inch here. 

“Stuck to your room. No TV or games.” 

His face falls a bit but he nods again. And then he gets downright miserable when Jensen moves to the desk and snatches the iPod. “Wha – ” he starts to whine, but snaps his mouth shut at Jensen’s sharp glare. 

The door closing feels and sounds ominous. As does the silence of no TV or music to put him to sleep.

*

He’s woken by quick pounding on his door, and he’s ready to curse it, but figures that based on the fight from the night before, it’s better than a bucket of water or being strangled. When he opens the door, his dad won’t look him in the eye, just grumbles, “S’almost nine.”

“Yeah, okay,” Nathan mumbles, wiping his eyes, and pushing down the pangs of guilt. 

After a quick shower and dressing in his normal game-day track pants and a soccer tee, he finds his dad and Jensen in the kitchen. They’re settled around the short end of the L-shaped counter, drinking coffee and going through the paper, like they do on these game days. Nathan is usually up earlier to join them, or they at least get him up for breakfast. But they didn’t, and it stings. 

Jensen’s the one to speak, sounding a little tight but not as upset as the night before. “You got your bag ready?”

“Yeah,” Nathan nods while pouring his own glass of orange juice. He wants to ask about breakfast, but won’t dare press his luck. He’s thankful in the car, however, when Jensen hands over a cereal bar. Then confusion takes him when Jensen backs out of the driveway. “What’re we? Isn’t Dad …”

Jensen takes a deep breath and keeps his eyes between the road and the rear view mirrors. “He’ll come later.”

“Shit,” he mumbles before he can think about it and is comforted only slightly that Jensen doesn’t comment on it.

Once the game starts, it’s obvious that Nathan is anything but focused. He mishandles passes, misjudges angles to shoot, and goes scoreless for the first time since his first game on varsity. His nerves that first day seemed to be at their highest, but they’re nothing compared to how out of it he is today. Coach Caruthers pulls him just five minutes into the second half and Nathan spends the rest of the day on the bench, completely aware he has no one to blame but himself. 

After packing up his things, he searches the stands for Jensen and his dad, but he only sees Jensen ambling down the stairs. His stomach drops and he stalls from walking any closer. 

“Tough game, huh?”

Nathan turns to Katie. She’s frowning in the softest way possible, and he scratches at his hair. “Yeah, just not my day.”

Jensen nears and Nathan looks at him nervously, wondering if Jensen’ll say something about not talking to friends, being grounded, or having to head straight home. Instead, he rests an easy hand at Nathan’s shoulder, says gently, “Bad breaks, buddy.”

He nods and chances a glance at Katie, who now has a soft smile and looks at Jensen to say, “Hi.”

Jensen smiles carefully and nods with a quiet, “Hi there.”

She turns to Nathan and asks, “You going to Rich’s tonight?”

Nathan visibly tenses, flashes a look at Jensen, and is about to answer. But Jensen speaks up. “Nah, we have some family stuff to do,” and his smile is easy enough that it’s convincing. 

He stares at Jensen, practically gawking at him, in wonder that Jensen lied and covered up. It definitely eases the pang of regret for not being able to go. 

Katie shrugs and gives an awkward smile. “Probably not missing anything, anyway.”

Jensen squeezes at the back of Nathan’s neck with care. Nathan tries to smile but he knows it’s a bad one. And he knows he sounds lame when he says, “Yeah, well, I just feel bad. Jessica invited me and everything.”

“She’ll be fine.”

He nods and glances at Jensen who nods and Nathan knows it’s the signal to leave. “Well, have fun tonight. Tell Jessica I’m sorry.”

She nods in return and Nathan barely waves as he and Jensen head to the car. “Thank you. For that.”

Jensen rings his arm around Nathan’s shoulders. “Yeah, don’t worry.” After a few steps, he says, “You handled it pretty well.”

“Didn’t want her telling everyone I was grounded over it.”

He chuckles and tucks him in a little closer. “Shit happens, Nathan.”

At the car, Nathan turns to him and frowns. “Dad didn’t come.”

Jensen plays with the keys, watching his fingers turn them over. “He’s pretty pissed, ya know?” he says rather easily but he does seem uncomfortable when he looks up. 

Not wanting to rehash it, and not wanting Jensen to see how much it hurts to know that he hurt his dad, he gets into the car and looks out the window and stays quiet, until he can’t anymore. “I’m sorry. I just … I really wanted to go. I was pissed when he said no.”

“Yeah, we know.”

Nathan looks over. “How long he gonna be pissed?”

Jensen shrugs and keeps watching traffic. “I don’t know, Nathan.”

“Really wanted to go.” The sigh is loud in the car and Jensen chuckles at him. 

“You know, it really _isn’t_ the end of the world.”

“Feels like it.”

“Yeah. Always does.”

*

Monday after practice, he sees Jessica and she’s laughing as she nears him. But it’s different. It’s not flirty, it’s just there. And he’s even more confused when she says, “Man, you missed a good party.”

He tries not to frown, but he knows it happens. “Yeah, I had stuff with my dad.”

“That’s a real shame,” she says, shaking her head, and then she’s gone.

Nathan watches her, practically marching to her own beat. And he’s still watching when Jensen pulls up. 

Come Tuesday, he’s smiling with Jessica, but it’s cut short when Jensen shows up, clearing his throat with purpose and catching their attention. “What’s with that?” Jessica asks quietly.

Nathan shakes his head with his mouth in a firm line. “I have to go.”

“Kinda early?”

He rubs a hand down the back of his head and tries to give a happy goodbye, but he knows it’s strangled.

On Wednesday, it’s close to the same thing, but Katie’s there and smiling carefully as Jessica hardly says a thing. And when Jensen’s car pulls up, she makes a quick exit. 

Katie waves to Jensen with a smile and offers Nathan, “See ya tomorrow,” with an awkward smile. 

Nathan’s silent the whole ride home, grunting in response to any of Jensen’s questions on his day or practice. 

When he gets to the house, he slams the door open and stops for only a second when his dad is there, home early, and staring at him. He runs through the living and dining rooms. As he pounds up the stairs, he hears his dad yelling, “Hold on a minute!”

He’s in his room, throwing the backpack across the room and kicking the door shut, but his dad pushes it open. “What?!” Nathan yells at him.

His dad’s eyes are gentle for a second but then go hard. “Don’t you ‘what’ me! What’s your problem?”

“You make me stay home and ground me and now she won’t even talk to me!” Nathan kicks at his bed then shucks off his shoes and throws them into the corner with two loud bangs. “Had one chance and it’s gone!”

He’s shaking his head, but it’s obvious he’s not so mad anymore and he lets Nathan stew and bitch about how he can’t show his face at school anymore, and then he drops next to Nathan on the bed. “Jesus Christ, Nathan. You’re a drama queen.”

Nathan pushes himself up the bed and further away, grunting, “Shut up.” 

His dad chuckles and leans forward, elbows to knees, hands twined together. “She won’t talk to you because you didn’t go to _one_ party?”

“It was _the_ party. And she invited me.”

“Nathan, some day, this is gonna be the dumbest thing you ever worried about.”

He crosses his arms tight and rolls his eyes. He wants to complain more, like he was always able to do, but he already feels like he’s pushing it. This is the most his dad has talked to him since Friday’s fight. 

“You think maybe if she’s ignoring you after missing one thing that maybe she’s not that great a girl?”

Nathan flashes him his best ‘are you crazy’ face, and thinks _Have you_ seen _Jessica Murray?_

His dad chuckles at the look and pats his knee as he stands up. “Chill out. Tomorrow’s another day.”

*

Katie shows up to the equipment room and offers help. They’re both terribly awkward, and he goes silent after pointing out that the baseball and softball bats need to be put back, along with all the flag football belts. 

She doesn’t push it, but he can see that she keeps looking at him. A few times she asks about soccer, but it all sounds stilted, and he can’t manage a real answer and just mumbles in return. 

Nathan shoots her another pissed off look and she shakes her head. Once she has the last yellow flag belt put in its place, she gives a cool, “I gotta get to class,” and leaves before the bell rings. 

It pisses him off even more. 

*

Saturday, his play is slightly better. He still feels jittery, worried it’ll be a repeat of last week. He doesn’t score, but he’s not as nervous and sloppy, and Coach Caruthers slaps him on the back after the game, giving a smile like he’s glad Nathan’s getting back to himself.

His dad shows up, still a bit quiet and awkward but he appreciates the gesture. Nathan’s worried to overstep whatever bit of respite he has here, so he just smiles and nods at him as they join up and head to the parking lot. 

He stutters when he sees the cheerleading team practicing at the next field over, and Jessica’s too obvious when she looks over then purposely away. Her voice is loud and shrill as she jumps into place and goes with the group, and he feels uneasy with it all, now knowing how fickle she really was … is. That just because he didn’t go to one party, she acts like she hardly knows him. 

“You okay?” his dad asks with an easy hand at his neck. 

Nathan takes a deep breath and shakes his head. “Yeah, whatever.”

“Not the end of the world, kiddo.”

He’s about to shake it off, but he sees Katie with her friends, the ones who’re always at the soccer games. She’s just staring back and he huffs before turning away to keep going to the parking lot. 

*

Tuesday, Nathan feels like it’s another day for torture because when he’s in the equipment room and tidying up all the sports balls, Katie comes in and offers help. “I’m fine,” he grumbles.

“You mind if I just hang out?” she asks awkwardly. 

He looks over his shoulder and she’s picking up loose volleyballs and returning them to the basket, clearly helping him anyway. Then she leans against the volleyball basket and fumbles with the top ball. Going back to bagging footballs, he mumbles, “Whatever, like I care.”

He’s silent as he works, and Katie doesn’t do much but bump a volleyball between her palms. It’s fairly uncomfortable, but Nathan doesn’t want to say anything to her. He shoots her angry looks here and there, but on the whole is ignoring her. Which prompts her to say, “I don’t know why you’re pissed at me.” He looks over, curling his mouth down and remaining quiet. “Jessica’s already talking to new people. She’s just fussy. And annoying. And kinda dumb. God, I don’t know why anyone ever likes her.”

Nathan stares at how Katie said it without a trace of anger in her voice. More like she honestly was completely baffled by it. “Yeah, well, you’re friends with her.”

She frowns. “Friends is a loose term. She gets outta the house and I get rides.” He stares more and she shrugs and almost smiles. “Her parents believe her when she says she’s with me and I hate walking. Works for both of us.”

The ease to her stance and voice makes him finally chuckle and then he shakes his head. When the bell sounds, they both look to the door. Nathan glances at her long enough to say, “Thanks for helping,” rather pathetically. 

Katie nods and tries to will him into a smile with one of her own. “Jessica’s all pretty but nothing else. It’s not the end of the world.”

He snorts. “My dad keeps saying that.”

“That Jessica’s pretty?” 

There’s a glint to her eyes that makes him laugh and shake his head as he heads out. And he’s smiling on his way to his locker, feeling a little better about the whole thing.

*

Over the next three weeks, Nathan goes through school, working with Katie on Tuesdays and Thursdays and getting along well enough that the time flies. At home, he’s still grounded and minding himself as best as he can, doing the dishes, taking the trash out, and being as quiet as possible in his room. 

His dad slowly eases back into himself, mostly notably with random touches. He squeezes Nathan’s arm, tugs at his shoulder, rubs over his head. It’s not as often as it usually is, but Nathan’ll take what he can get. 

The last Thursday of his sentence, his dad comes into his room and settles at the edge of his bed. Nathan shuffles up to make more room than is necessary, and almost smiles when his dad moves closer. “You know, this wasn’t any easier on me than it was on you.”

Nathan nods and lets him keep talking.

“You saying that, it wasn’t just the language, you know that, right?”

“Yes, sir,” he nods again.

His dad snorts and parrots, “Yes, sir. Jesus. When’d you start that?”

“I’m sorry,” Nathan replies, hoping that everything is heard in those two words. “I didn’t mean it like that.” When his dad just watches back, he starts rambling. “I don’t think there’s anything wrong with you and Jensen. You know I like Jensen being here. It just slipped out. I don’t know why I said it. I’m really sorry.”

He nods and slowly slips a hand over his ankle, holding and squeezing. “It’s a crappy lesson. But you see that the party really wasn’t that big a deal, right?”

Nathan replies pathetically, “Yeah.”

“And all that anger and yelling was for what?”

“I know.”

“Wasn’t worth it, was it?” Nathan looks up with a frown that eases up when his dad smiles at him. “Yelling at us and getting grounded, and you’re in the same spot you were a month ago.”

He looks down to his hands, fumbling fingers over each other. “My fingers are way prunier.” After his dad snorts, Nathan says, “I hate doing the dishes alone.”

With a nod, his dad leans forward to engulf him in a hug. Nathan moves right into it and holds tight. “Kinda hated making you do it. Except for the part where you actually _did_ the dishes.”

“Dad,” he whines as they part.

“House ain’t ever been this clean before.”

*

Friday after practice, Jensen is late. He’d texted that he would be, so Nathan’s not too annoyed, except for the fact that he’s beyond bored. It’s the last day of his being grounded, and he has yet to get his iPod back, so it’s oddly quiet on the far lawn. But then he hears the distinct noise of a foot smacking a ball. He’s heard it a million times in the last 10 years; there’s no mistaking it. But the soccer field is in the opposite direction, and he’s confused when he hears the _whoosh_ of a net and can only spot one girl playing on her own at the makeshift goal in the other direction.

He has time to waste, so he wanders over and then stalls when he realizes it’s Katie. And she’s sprinting up to a line of balls and wasting each one of them into the net with what he knows is practiced precision. 

When she taps the balls back to the line she’d had before, he chuckles, which draws her attention. Katie flushes on top of the slight pink of her exerted face. “Hey,” she says awkwardly.

“I had no idea.”

“What?”

“That you played,” he says as he gets closer and shuffles a ball in the space around him, dropping his bag to the ground.

“Yeah, well, no girls’ team.”

He nods with a frown then suddenly asks, “Where you get all the balls from?”

“From sweet talking Caruthers.” Nathan looks up and she chuckles. “Why do you think I was always in the room? Doing favors for favors.”

“Huh,” he says lamely then kicks the ball over to her. She easily handles it, dribbling around and then smacking it into the net. “You always play this late?”

Katie nods and keeps her eyes on her feet pushing a ball around. “On Wednesdays and Fridays. As long as I do the equipment in between.”

Nathan watches as she easily nails a tight-angled shot to the net’s upper corner then lodges another one into the lower end of the net. “You’re good,” he says quickly and then looks embarrassed to be so impressed. 

She shrugs and is a little embarrassed herself. “Not as good as you.”

He laughs. “Well, no. No one is.” With a quick kick, she nails him in the shin and laughs at his quick grimace. Nathan relents with a laugh. “Okay, fine, that was a little much.” He taps it at her and watches as she bumps it right back. They fall into an easy rhythm of kicking it back and forth, and it’s comfortable. Surprisingly so. But then he thinks about the last few weeks of horsing around in the equipment room, shooting baskets and tossing footballs, and he really shouldn’t be shocked. “Where’d you learn to play?”

“Pee wee leagues. Then with my brother.” He’s surprised as she pauses and looks sheepish. “I think you played with him.”

“What’s his name?”

“Ryan. Ryan Parker, half brother actually.”

Nathan smirks, thinking of the kid he played with through all of pee wee and juniors, and how in a year or two they’ll play again when Ryan moves from the sophomore team to varsity. “Yeah, Ryan’s good.” Nathan kicks a quick shot at her, but she blocks it easily and pushes it right back. “Not as good as you,” he smiles. And then it grows when her smile amps up and he feels like he’s looking at someone so different than the girl he’s sorted jerseys and bats with. 

His brain stops at the thought and hangs onto it, and then his stomach turns over and he feels like he doesn’t know what to say to her. Like being impressed by her soccer was the first of several dominoes to fall into place and make him realize that while getting to know Katie, he started to like her. 

Katie kicks the ball over again and they dribble it between them while she says, “You’re here late. Been leaving early lately.”

He chuckles awkwardly, not even sure he wants to admit to it, but then he remembers how she admitted to not liking Jessica. “Been grounded for a month.”

Her eyebrows go high. “Really? For what?”

There’s no way he’ll repeat the words, so he settles on, “Talkin’ back to my dad.”

“Ouch.”

“Yeah, right?”

“A whole month?”

He shrugs and says uneasily, “It was kinda bad. Just fell right outta my mouth. Couldn’t take it back fast enough.” She’s frowning in playful sympathy and it’s comforting and amusing, so he just starts rambling. “We got into a big fight over Rich’s party. They said I couldn’t go and I got so pissed I just started saying crazy stuff.”

Katie nods and her voice is quiet. “You didn’t miss anything.”

Nathan nods, too. “Yeah, I see that now.” He’s about to say more but he hears a horn and winces. “Shoot, I think that’s for me.”

She stops the ball, drawing it back with her toe then kicks it up to catch. Nathan smirks because it’s kind of awesome to see her do that, and maybe hot. He’s not sure yet. This liking an athletic girl is kind of new to him. Katie smiles, “Thanks for playing around for a bit.”

He grabs his gear and walks backwards with a wave. “Thanks for letting me play.”

Katie calls to him, “Good luck tomorrow!”

“You going?”

“Of course,” she smiles.

He likes how easy it is, and how her voice is light like she’s entirely comfortable with herself. One rough swallow and a quick inventory of a stomach flip and a fast heartbeat later he jogs back near her. “Hey, maybe after … maybe we could get something?” Her smile widens and he feels good enough in that, that he goes on with more confidence, with the push he had when talking to Jessica but with a bit less arrogance. Though it falters for a moment he looks over his shoulder at the car, feeling like there’s an audience, no matter how far away Jensen is. When he turns back, he says quickly, “There’s this ice cream place we always go to after my games. They have good burgers. Milkshakes, too.”

Katie’s still smiling and then taking a deep breath and nodding. “Yeah, that’d be cool.”

He grins and jogs away with a wave. When he’s in Jensen’s car, he’s practically beaming and Jensen slaps a hand at his back. “Catching on I see.”

Nathan wants to grumble back, but he just shakes his head and looks out the window with a smile. 

*

After Saturday’s game, where Nathan gets three goals, leading his team past a division rival to make the playoffs, he spots Katie and jogs over. He pulls his shirt up to wipe his face, knowing he’s sloppy and soaked with sweat, like always. But then he’s smiling when he’s right in front of her. “I’m disgusting,” he chuckles.

She laughs easily. “Nah, you just played hard. Showoff,” she adds while elbowing him in the gut. 

Nathan moves away with a smirk but stops when he sees his dad and Jensen moving closer, and he groans. He’s not looking forward to them being anywhere near Katie, especially since it hasn’t even been twenty-four hours since he realized he liked her. But part of him feels less worried than he always was talking to Jessica all those afternoons. 

“God, you’re gross,” his dad says with mock disgust and tosses a towel at his head.

“Yeah, wonder where he gets it from,” Jensen mumbles.

“Exactly,” Nathan says with a roll of his eyes. Then he falters when he realizes Katie’s still there and he should say something. “Hey, so, we were gonna get food,” he says awkwardly to his dad, motioning with a short nod to Katie. 

His dad gives a tight smile and nods before moving closer to Katie with his hand out. “Hi, I’m Jared, Nathan’s dad.”

She laughs with how Nathan rolls his eyes, even though he does step in. “Yeah, okay. Katie, dad. Dad, Katie.” Then he looks at Jensen and points between them all. “And Jensen, Katie. Katie, my dads.”

Katie shakes their hands, and either doesn’t pick up on the frozen moment or decides to let it go. But Nathan can feel two distinct sets of eyes on him. Instead of dealing with it, he offers to meet Katie at her house so he can go home to shower, and she takes it with a smile and waves as she walks away.

“Nathan,” his dad says gently with a meaningful gaze and heavy hand on Nathan’s neck. 

He blushes, realizing what’s got his dad so emotional. To combat it, he wiggles out of the grip and complains, “C’mon, you’re gonna embarrass me in front of the girl.”

“Girl’s gone, kiddo,” Jensen drops in. 

Nathan doesn’t miss how Jensen’s smile is especially soft and his eyes are strong on him. He just pulls his shirt up over his nose to hide anything on his face, like always. And then he winces and pulls it down. “Okay, can we go so I can shower?”

“Yeah, you’re pretty rank,” Jensen nods and nudges them towards the car. 

His dad curls an arm around his shoulders and tugs him in tight. His voice is small. “You’ve never said that before.”

“Not a big deal,” Nathan returns while watching their feet move forward.

“Yeah, it is.”

Nathan looks up and sees his dad’s eyes are shiny, and he groans, just to hide how even he’s starting to feel affected by the moment. “You’re gonna cry? Seriously? Not even Jensen’s crying.”

“Yeah, I’m totally dry,” Jensen says. 

“Shut up, both of you.”

Nathan and Jensen laugh together and his dad tries not to. Nathan easily asks, “So it’s cool if I go out? Grounding’s over?”

His dad eases up on his hold, but strolls with the arm still around his neck. “I s’pose. You gonna be a gentleman?”

“Naturally.”

“You gonna hold the door open? Ask her thoughtful questions? Gonna pay?”

With a raised eyebrow, Nathan asks, “You gonna give me some money?”

Jensen chuckles from the other side of Jared but stays mostly quiet. 

His dad points out, “You get an allowance.”

“That’s not really enough to treat a nice girl to a nice lunch.”

“Well, aren’t you smooth?”

Nathan grins. “Learned it from my pops.”

His dad tugs him back in tight, sounds happy and proud. “That’s right, buddy.”

He points around them. “I meant Jensen, but I guess you’re alright.”

“Oh, you little …” his dad starts but soon enough Nathan’s racing to the parking lot and he’s chasing after him.


End file.
